Atlantic League notebook: At least two teams added to league in 2015

Updated 2:40 pm, Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Koby Clemens, son of pitching great Roger Clemens, practices with his team, the Sugar Land Skeeters, before Bluefish game action at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. on Wednesday September 4, 2013.
Photo: Christian Abraham

For the third straight season and for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, the Bluefish are not battling for their second league championship. Instead, they will have to wait until 2014 as Bluefish general manager Ken Shepard reaffirmed that they will again be a member of what will remain an eight-team league.

There had been some speculation that the league would expand next year. However, those plans are on hold until 2015 when at least two teams will be added -- one in Texas and another in Virginia (the Loudoun Hounds) -- during what league CEO Frank Boulton termed a "a pretty aggressive expansion."

"That'll all come together in pretty short order," Boulton said. "We have two other people that have applied and one has been given conditional approval. And that's Virginia Beach; they're working on it. That could possibly be in (2015). So the league is very aggressive.

"Our goal is to get to 12 (teams) and measure again. And geographically, ideally, we'd like four in Texas and there's a lot of work going on right now. And there's opportunity. So that's all good for the league."

ANTE UP: Without another team in Texas in 2014, the Skeeters will continue to pay for the visiting team's airfare. Boulton does not view this as an issue due to the club's great success at the turnstiles.

The Skeeters drew a league-high 382,059 (5,537 average) in 69 dates this season. They also led the league in their inaugural season a year ago, drawing 465,511 (6,650 average) in 70 dates.

"Look at their numbers," Boulton said. "Their numbers are so strong. So they pay a little extra, but their numbers have been spectacular so they can afford to do it. And that was the deal when they came into the league."

Once a team in Texas joins the league, it will then share the cost of the airfare with the Skeeters.

FOR DEBATE: Boulton said he'd like to see the Somerset Patriots moved to the Liberty Division and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to the Freedom Division because it makes sense geographically. There is also some debate whether to stay with the split-season format or move to a full-season format.